ATLANTA, May 11, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Embargoed for 9:30 a.m. ET
Depression and reports of having poor quality of life are more likely in male heart failure patients than in women or men without heart failure, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2012.
While depression in the general population is more frequent and severe in women, and in heart failure (HF) patients versus patients without HF, the emotional impact on men with HF has not been well studied, especially how depression affects their perceived quality of life.
The researchers screened more than 3,300 patients who were referred to their medical center for cardiovascular assessment over a one-year period. In addition to scoring responses to a standardized depression test, they also administered a quality-of-life questionnaire. They then examined the scores by gender and diagnosis of HF.
In general, minor and major depression were more frequent in women than in men (14 percent vs. 8.9 percent), and in HF patients (22 percent versus 9.6 percent). Quality-of-life scores were also lower in women and in HF patients. However, the difference in depression and quality of life scores was more than double for men with HF, compared to all patients. Women with HF also had higher scores than their non-HF counterparts, but the difference was significantly less.
Author disclosures and funding information are on the abstracts.
Statements and conclusions of study authors presented at American Heart Association scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association's policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.
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